


The Unexpected

by missblueeyes63



Category: SEAL Team (TV)
Genre: Angst, Brotherhood, Drama, Gen, Hurt Clay, Hurt/Comfort, Missions, Protective Older Brothers, Rookie - Freeform, Team as Family, Whump, injuries, mission gone awry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 00:29:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17735570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missblueeyes63/pseuds/missblueeyes63
Summary: Bravo Team is unexpectedly upped for a mission. Clay arrives, and everyone believes he is drunk … but is he? During the op, things go south. Will the team be able to save their rookie?





	1. How Dare He Arrive Drunk

**_Aircraft En Route to Classified Destination_ **

"What the hell am I gonna do with him?" Jason stared past Ray to the curly-haired mop of his rookie who now swung in his hammock. Frustration built to a boiling point. "The damned kid shouldn't be on this op in his condition."

"Jace, this isn't his fault." Ray attempted to be the voice of reason, though his thoughts lined up perfectly with the master chief this time. "If anyone is to blame it is the damned CIA lackey Carlson who insisted Spenser's language skills are critical for this mission."

Jason grabbed the back of his neck with one hand and squeezed.

"He'll be sober by the time we land." Ray sincerely doubted his statement, but what else could he say … other than nothing, which is what he should've opted for as Jace eyed him like he was stupid. "Well, sober enough not to stumble."

"Not good enough." Jason turned and sought out his target, crossing the distance in six strides. He flipped the hammock, dumping Spenser to the floor of the aircraft. "Rise and shine. Time to sweat out the alcohol. You do not show up drunk off your ass."

Clay blinked after smacking the ground, trying to focus. His head hurt from whacking the metal and from before too. His stomach rolled, and he barely managed not to hurl. The world around him swam as he was yanked to his feet. His eyes finally focused on the face of his pissed off boss.  _Oh, shit I'm gonna be sick._

The gagging sound gave Jason only a brief second to react. He spun Spenser around and shoved the kid's head towards a box of something, he didn't care what, only that it would catch whatever Clay spewed out.

Sonny eyed Hayes as he manhandled Spenser. "Damn glad I'm not him right about now."

"Who? Boss or Clay?" Brock asked.

"Both." Sonny yawned and closed his eyes. None of them expected to be called for this mission … wouldn't have been if three of Charlie had not ended up with some version of the flu. That is the only defense their rookie would be able to offer for reporting while three sheets to the wind.

Trent shook his head. "Kid can't hold his liquor."

On his knees, Clay let loose as his stomach turned inside out. His gut hurt, his headache intensified, and he wanted to curl into a ball. If he could form words, he would tell his chief he was not drunk. He had gone to the bar, ordered a beer, waited for Stella sipping said beer, someone spilled their drink on him, he got paged, and he left without finishing his beer or seeing Stella to meet the team at the airfield. The headache began en route to the tarmac, so he crawled into his hammock as soon as they were airborne, hoping sleep would rid him of the aching.

Not wanting to let Boss down, Clay managed to rise after regurgitating his last meal. He swayed and opened his mouth to explain but was cut off by a tirade from Hayes. Every time Clay attempted to speak, Jason would cut him off … there was no reasoning with the man at this point.

So he sucked up his pain and began running from one end of the plane to the other until he was sweating profusely. Disappointed and disgusted eyes tracked him on his repeated journey. The unit, the support staff, even Davis scowled at him.

After an hour of back and forth, soaked in sweat, smelling like a distillery from the spilled drink, Hayes finally allowed him to stop running. A bottle of water was shoved into his hands, and Clay was told to drink. He downed the entire contents in several gulps … wrong thing to do. Clay bent over the same revolting box as his body rejected the liquid.

"Get in the hammock and sleep now," Jason directed after the kid finished the second round of puking. He strode to the rear, as far from Spenser as possible so he wouldn't wring his neck for daring to arrive drunk.

Plopping down in one of the net seats, Jason blew out a breath as he eyed his rookie crawling back into the swinging bed. He had done all he could for now. Keeping Spenser safe was hard enough … he didn't need the added weight of dealing with him hung over.

Mandy shifted her position and took a seat next to Jason. "You think he'll be up for the op when we arrive?"

"He better be. Why the hell did Carlson want him again?"

"Clay understands the dialect Sina Nazeri speaks."

"Could've sent a terp," Jason challenged.

"Not into that area. Too risky according to intel."

"Riskier than sending a drunk Clay?"

Mandy's eyes shot upward as she exhaled heavily. "Carlson didn't plan on that. Nor did any of us."

Jason crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and tried hard to grab some shuteye.

At the front of the aircraft, Clay swung in his hammock, fighting the renewed nausea as his head throbbed. He swiped the beads of sweat from his forehead and clamped his eyelids shut.  _What the hell is wrong with me?_


	2. I'm Not Leaving Him

**_Forward Operating Base – Tarmac_ **

Clay woke as the wheels touched down, his hammock swinging crazily.  _Damn, no one woke me for landing._  The movement caused his unsettled stomach to roll, but he didn't ralph again. When the aircraft came to a halt, he climbed out and held on to the webbing for stabilization as a sharp pain in his lower right back made itself known.

_Hammocks are not the most comfortable, but they never left me sore before. Probably just a kink from all the running Jason made me do._  Clay stretched to relieve the ache and was glad the pounding in his head subsided to a low roar too. As the rear of the plane opened, a blast furnace of heat rolled in along with bright sunlight, which caused him to squint. He squared his shoulders a Hayes approached, now wearing his uniform instead of the civvies they all arrived in. "Boss, I wasn't—"

"I don't want excuses. You got five minutes to change and gear up before the bus leaves for TOC. If you miss it you'll be running to the briefing." Jason grabbed his bags, pivoted, and strode out the back along with the other five members of Bravo and Cerberus.

Changing quickly, Clay fought a headache and backache, wishing to ask for a couple of pills but Davis scowled at him and he decided no one would believe him if he told him he had not been drunk. They made assumptions, Jason confirmed them by reaming him and … letting him sleep the remainder of the flight. So again, he sucked it up and barely made it to the white bus within the time limit.

Being the rookie on the elite tier one team run by Jason Hayes meant you didn't complain. You did what he expected, when expected, as expected … no questions. Clay didn't want to let his boss or team down and wanted to earn their respect, so he did as expected, and took a seat on the bus in front of Trent and across from Sonny.

The shooter-team medic tapped Clay on the shoulder. "So how much you drink last night?"

Without thinking, Clay answered Trent. "Only part of a beer."

Sonny smirked. "Lightweight."

"Told you the kid can't hold his alcohol." Trent chuckled.

"Sure the hell didn't smell or act like one beer," Brock said.

Deciding to keep his mouth shut since it would likely only increase their teasing, Clay clenched his jaw, shifted in his seat to relieve the pain in his back, and swiped at the sweat forming on his brow.  _Damned heat._

* * *

_**Forward Operating Base – Tactical Operations Center** _

As he continued the briefing, laying out his plan, Carlson scanned the unit Mandy claimed to be the best. By the looks of them, he possessed other opinions. His eyes landed on Hayes. The man came with a reputation for being a royal pain-in-the-ass and demanding to the point of potential insubordination, that is if Blackburn didn't fully support the master chief, which he always seemed to do according to his sources.

Hayes was one reason Carlson had expressly worked with Fuller's Charlie team for this operation. He didn't want the headache of dealing with Hayes. But when three members of six on Charlie became ill, including the soldier with knowledge of the local language, he was forced to go with Bravo and luckily, they possessed a multi-lingual shooter fluent in the dialect too.

Sneezing several times, Carlson eyed the dog. "Get that mangy thing out of TOC. I'm allergic to dogs."

Brock smirked as Jason said, "Deal with it, Carlson. The dog is a member of my team and stays with his handler."

Lisa produced tissues from somewhere, always having what her guys required, and in this case what an annoying CIA agent needed. She made the rounds passing out water bottles to them as the briefing continued in the stifling little room. Today was miserably hot and humid, and her uniform clung to her in all the wrong places.

If she was uncomfortable, Lisa could only imagine how the guys felt wearing their tactical gear, minus helmets and weapons at the moment. Davis stopped next to Clay to hand him one.  _Damn, he is wiped out still. Serves him right for coming onboard drunk._  "Water?"

Clay glanced up, surprised she offered him one after her scowls on the plane. "Thanks. Two?"

Davis shoved another one at the rookie.  _Yeah, he will need to rehydrate before going on a daylight mission in today's heat._

Listening to the mission discussion, Clay guzzled one bottle but reduced the speed of consumption when his stomach rolled. His attention piqued when Mandy took over from the man named Carlson and he shifted in his seat, his back still aching and sweating buckets, but at least his headache dissipated.

Mandy said, "We need to take Sina Nazeri alive. This is the first chance we have had in two years. The intel we can glean from him will help us take down the Hamood Network."

"And why does this require a daylight raid … and my rookie specifically?" Jason challenged, not liking what he heard so far. "I say we go in under cover of darkness, snatch him and go."

"And wipe out all his lackeys in the process," Sonny added with a grin.

Carlson frowned. "We are not into creating an international incident."

"I am if it means wiping out the bastard who likes to sell explosives to those who blow up elementary schools and hospitals," Sonny quipped.

"Nazeri is a middleman who can give us the names of those who run the show. But I don't expect a mere shooter to understand the complex nature of what we are dealing with."

Sonny laughed. He dealt with too many pencil pushing cake eaters in his years to let the pompous remark get under his skin.

"I'm waiting. Why daytime and why Spenser?" Hayes crossed his arms as he leaned against the wooden table.

"Because someone has to communicate with Nazeri and it is the only time Nazeri will be out without his main compliment of protection. He visits his father once each month for a few hours," Carlson explained.

Ray reviewed the aerial photos of the rugged terrain surrounding the village nestled in a valley. "I don't like the terrain for a daylight op this deep in a Taliban controlled area. We should—"

"You are soldiers, you do as commanded," Carlson bit out. "I have worked on this for months now. This is our only opportunity."

Eric eyed Carlson and then Mandy.  _Who the hell does this guy think he is?_  Though he remained quiet as Ray continued as if Carlson had not spoken.

Ignoring Carlson, Ray said, "Jace, if we went in tonight and positioned ourselves here," Ray pointed to a building. "We would be in a position to grab him and avoid issues with a daylight infil. We only need to work out a fast exfil after we nab Nazeri."

Jason moved forward and scratched at his beard. "Could work. Clear a home close by and wait." His eyes shifted to Blackburn. "HALO in and helo out?"

"We could arrange," Eric said hearing the first decent suggestions for getting them in and out in a reasonably safe manner with a higher probability of keeping their target alive.

Davis took a seat. "On it."

Carlson fumed. "Fuller worked out all the plans for a daylight op."

"Fuller isn't here and he isn't in command of Bravo. My men, my op, my decision," Jason stated in a no-nonsense manner which appeared to further rile the sweating man in front of him.

Jason relaxed somewhat as Davis made arrangements. A night drop would allow Spenser to be fully clearheaded before going in, and keep his men safer. "Grab a few hours shut-eye," he instructed his team. "Spense."

Clay halted, turned back to Jason, and waited.

Scanning the rookie, Jason noted the slow motions and chalked it up to the excessive alcohol. He also spotted the soaked shirt, but then they all were dripping wet today. "Make sure you hydrate properly."

"Copy." Clay waited a moment longer and when Jason turned to speak with the Lt. Commander, he shuffled out with the others to find his bunk.

* * *

_**Aircraft Over Drop Zone** _

Sonny jerked on the kid's chute, ensuring he was buckled in properly. It crossed his mind this would be the first jump for Clay since the training one which claimed the life of his friend. "You good?"

Gritting his teeth against the pain the yanking caused in his back, Clay only nodded.

"I asked if you're alright. Expect a verbal response." Quinn stared at the rookie. Jason put Spenser under his wing whether he liked it or not. And although Sonny wouldn't admit to anyone, especially not Clay, he liked the responsibility … though it tended to be an onerous one at times. If there was trouble to be found Spenser's name was on it.

"Yeah." Clay managed. His nap took care of his nausea … that is until he rose from the bunk and shuffled out to grab chow with the others. He pushed his food around to make it appear he ate, but he didn't relish puking into his mask as they did a HALO jump so only drank some water.

The men jostled into position when the pilot indicated they were approaching the jump zone. Clay received several bumps to his back and suppressed the groans. He wiped a light sheen of sweat from his brow and waited for the word to go.

A flight tech, wearing oxygen pushed the button opening the rear of the aircraft. Jason gave the signal and Brock, with Cerberus strapped to his body wearing a specially designed doggie oxygen mask was the first out, followed by Trent, Ray, Clay, Sonny, and finally Jason. They free-fell, checking altimeters, and when they reached the right altitude they pulled cords and six canopies unfurled.

Landing with a thump, Clay dropped to his knees as pain ricocheted across his back from his right flank. He panted several breaths as it ebbed to a manageable level and thankfully his riotous gut didn't embarrass him in front of the others. Though at present, everyone was busy unhooking from their chute gear and rolling the fabric so they could stash the HALO gear for retrieval upon exfil.

Clay rose and swiftly completed his task, feeling the heat of his Boss' eyes on him even in the dark as he finished last. So much for redeeming himself in Hayes' eyes … though he was innocent of reporting drunk.

"TOC, Bravo one, proceeding to target village."

"Copy. All quiet and clear." Davis responded.

NOG lowered into place, casting their world in green, the six-man team moved out, needing to trek three klicks through rough mountain terrain to reach the village. No one spoke after Jason reported into TOC. They maintained a grueling pace as they traversed the rocky gorges making their way down to the village.

* * *

_**Target Village – Building Near Nazeri Residence** _

Jason gave out orders with hand signals and like a well-oil machine, Bravo prepared to breach the door … silently so as not to alert anyone in this Taliban held village to their presence. It was one reason they did a HALO jump instead of a helo drop … no one here would be forewarned by the sounds of a helicopter.

At the rear door with Sonny and Trent, Clay drew in a breath, quelling the non-stop nausea. It was too late to say anything to the team, but part of him wished he had braced himself during dinner to notify Jason he wasn't feeling up to snuff and take his lumps as Jason yelled at him and the follow-on glares and taunts from the others.

They executed their entry plan. Moving stealthy Clay covered their rear as Trent and Sonny began clearing the rooms, not finding anyone thus far. Clay spotted a man coming at Trent with a knife and in a flash, he went after him, needing to take him down without firing. After slamming the man into a wall, stunning him, Clay went for a chokehold to silence him before he could call out for others.

Sonny turned at the commotion, ready to help if necessary … not needed though as Clay released the hostile letting the body drop to the ground. Quinn grinned and nodded. _Rookie done good._

Trent bent and secured the man's hands and ankles with zip ties before gagging him. As he rose, Trent patted Clay's back in thanks.  _The rookie saved my life, or at least from a nasty knife wound._

Sonny motioned towards the back stairwell, Trent followed, and Clay brought up the rear again. The three worked together clearing the second-floor rooms, securing the four men they located, as did Jason, Ray, and Brock on the first, trussing up five they found.

The trio on the upper level made it to the last room just as Jason notified them the first-floor was cleared. Clay entered first as they had leapfrogged point and rear positions. A dark-clad figure lunged at Clay sending both of them to the wooden floor. Clay's back rammed into something solid and sharp, sending shockwaves of pain coursing through his body.

Trent and Sonny were on the attacker in an instant and as he fought back, Quinn snapped his neck, letting the limp body crash down, without a second thought as his attention turned to Clay. As their rookie lay gasping for breath, Sonny rapidly moved to him and took a knee, knowing Trent would cover them. "Hey, Spense."

Riding wave after wave of pain, Clay could no longer hold back. He rolled to his side and began puking.

Sonny reached out to check for wounds and his glove came back wet. "Shit. Bravo one we have a problem."

"What?" Jason said as he began to head for the stairs leaving Brock and Ray to maintain overwatch on the entry points.

"The kid is bleeding and puking," Sonny said as he tugged at Clay's shirt trying to get a visual on the injury. His eyes flicked to where Spenser landed and notice a pyramid-shaped object.

Jason appeared just as Sonny lifted the shirt and Clay finished ralphing. "What'da we got?"

"Kid landed on that," he pointed to the object, "appears to have punctured his back. Pretty deep."

Pain radiating around the wound, Clay moaned as Sonny applied pressure. His eyes locked with Jason's as his boss peered down at him. "Give me a sec … I'll be good."

Jason's concern notched up, as he snorted and shook his head. "Yeah, right."

Taking the words not as intended, believing Hayes was displeased or worse thought him a liability and incapable of pulling his own weight, Clay tried to rise to prove himself.

"Lay still," Jason barked. "Trent, take a look."

Switching places with Sonny, Trent lifted his NOG and turned on his penlight to examine the wound. After Sonny's pressure, it oozed, but the bleeding had slowed somewhat. "Puncture, no idea how deep. Bleeding appears to be slowing."

"Tape it up, and let me up. I'm fine," Clay growled, ticked off at himself.

"Do it," Jason ordered Trent as he rose.

Fifteen minutes later, all bandaged, Clay lay on one of the pads on the floor. Hayes insisted he rest since they had the remainder of the night and most the day to wait until their target showed. He closed his eyes and continued to fight the desire to paint the dusty floor with watery bile … since that is all his stomach contained.

Out of earshot of Clay, Jason pulled Trent aside. "How is he really? Can he make the assault and exfil?"

Trent pursed his lips in concentration. "Not sure. Punctured close to his kidney. The puking … that is out of the norm for him when he is hurt."

Jason agreed. The kid turned stoic when hurt … they all had too much experience with that with him in the past few months Spenser had been with the team. Noting Trent's expression, Jason asked, "What are you thinking?"

"He appears to be running a fever too. He said he only had one beer before the flight. He didn't eat any dinner. Kid might be sick," Trent shared his concerns wishing he had not teased Clay and actually asked him about the drinking instead of assuming. Especially since in the time he had known Clay, he had not consumed excessive alcohol.

Rolling his head, Jason blew out a breath.  _Dammit, I missed something. I should've let him explain on the flight._  He strode over to Clay, squatted beside him, and demanded, "How much did you drink before we were upped? I want the truth."

Blinking open his lids lethargically, Clay answered, "Part of a beer."

"Why did you smell like a brewery?"

"Some jerk spilled his drink on me." Losing his war of control, Clay began heaving again, but nothing came up.

Jason braced Clay's shoulders, holding him as he continued to dry-heave. The heat radiating off Spenser was unmistakable this close up.  _Damn, the kid is sick and injured._  For the next thirty minutes, Jason supported Clay as the rookie's condition began to rapidly deteriorate when he began to shiver uncontrollably and curled up, his face contorted in pain.

With limited medical supplies there wasn't much Trent could do, and he had no clue what type of illness they were dealing with, but they all understood Clay was in a world of pain.

Cerberus moved in close, sniffed at the wound, whined, and laid at Clay's feet. Sonny came forward to relieve Jason, sitting next to Clay and pulling the kid's head into his lap.

Assessing the situation, Jason stood and activated his comms. "TOC, Bravo One. We need to abort."

"Say again?" Davis said not believing Hayes would abort a mission.

"Bravo Six is injured and ill. Hot exfil with him is a no go."

Ripping the mike from Davis' hand, Carlson said, "You are ordered to complete your mission. One man is expendable. Leave him and get your target when he arrives."

Mandy, Lisa, and Eric glared at Carlson. Eric took the handset from Carlson. "Bravo One what is the situation?"

Jason moved next to the window as he explained Clay's condition and then said, "His condition is worsening. I'm not leaving him."


	3. Confusion

**_Forward Operating Base – Tactical Operations Center_ **

"We will not abort this mission!" Carlson exclaimed. "One man for Nazeri is an acceptable price. Besides if he is a little sick, he should be able to run still. Don't they train for stuff like this?"

Mandy glared at her peer. She had worked with him one or two times before, but never realized he was this ruthless and uncaring. Words failed her at the moment. Davis grabbed her attention in the next instant.

"Bravo One, be advised, incoming. Six approaching the back of the building."

Mandy and Eric both stared at the monitor showing six, red heat signatures closing in on their team's position.

Carlson frowned.  _Dammit, they showed up too._

* * *

_**Inside Building Near Nazeri Residence** _

"Copy," Jason said. He turned to the others. "Trent, stay here with Spenser. The rest of you, we have unwanted company. Let's move." He hurried from the room heading down the stairs. This op just went from bad to worse.

Clay pushed up, resting against the wall, feeling like shit, his back on fire but peered at Trent. "Shoot me some morphine and hand me my weapon. You go with them. I can take care of myself."

"Not countering Boss' orders. I'm staying here." However, he did pull out the injector and gave Clay a partial dose of morphine to ease the kid's pain. "Only taking the edge off, don't want you out completely. How long have you been feeling like crap?"

The drug began to take effect, and Clay answered, "Had a headache when I boarded, the reason I crawled into the hammock after take-off. Got better and worse. Didn't feel this bad until we began trekking here."

"Should've said something on the plane," Trent admonished.

"Tried. Jason didn't want to listen." Clay's head lolled to the side.

Trent nodded and didn't ask more. Spenser spoke the truth. Jason had not let Clay get a word in edgewise on the flight. He stood and moved to the door, ready to cover Clay's six.  _The kid is in no condition to be handling a gun._

Downstairs, the four men and Cerberus prepared for the incoming hostiles as Jason instructed in a quiet voice, "We allow them to enter and take them down inside, quiet-like, so we don't give away our position."

* * *

**_Outside Building Near Nazeri Residence_ **

Using hand signals, Blaze communicated with this unit, primed to enter and clear the location they would use to conceal themselves until they took out their target. Intel finally came down the pike identifying one of the men on his and Winds' personal hit list.

One of the animals responsible for torturing Blondie had shifted to the Hamood Network and worked for Sina Nazeri. This mission would net two things, a dead Yel Malik and a live Sina Nazeri who they would turn over to the US forces per an agreement Colonel Sutton worked out with a US counterpart.

Though this should be a joint mission, the CIA representative Sutton was in contact with became wishy-washy on whether his men could go per their timetable and decided to wait until next month's visit. Not wanting to allow this opportunity to pass them by, Sutton upped his unit at a moment's notice. They planned a strategy while in route and did a HALO jump instead of landing in Kandahar and then arranging transportation.

Winds opened the door and all six men slipped inside.

* * *

**_Inside Building Near Nazeri Residence_ **

Four U.S. SEALs and one dog surrounded six Canadian JTF2 soldiers. Had any of them been trigger-happy a terrible incident would've occurred, but both teams being well-trained they ended up with guns pointing at each other, astonished as they peered at an allied force.

Jason said, "What the fuck?" as Blaze said, "What the hell?" when the two leaders faced one another.

The gagged and bound terrorist on the floor stared at them.

"Who the hell are you and why the hell are you in our AO?" Jason demanded.

"Could ask the same questions," Blaze responded as he lowered his weapon. "Didn't think the U.S. was sending a team to deal with Nazeri. Leastwise, that is the intel I have."

"You're here for Nazeri?" Ray asked as he took his cue from Jason who moved his gun off of the other soldier.

Winds noted 2B9 on the arm patch and realized the man speaking was second in command like him. "Yeah, and another bastard, though he won't be leaving here alive like Nazeri." He clenched his left palm which contained the thin white scar from his blood oath with Blaze to seek justice for Blondie.

Jason took control of the conversation. Well, at least for his men, as he spoke with the leader of the Canadian unit, a Captain Blain who preferred to be called Blaze. The two men shared details, and it became clear something smelled fishy.

Pressing his coms button, Jason said, "TOC, Bravo One. Hostiles turned out to be friendlies … Canadians. They are here for Nazeri too. We may be able to proceed with the mission after all, but there is some apparent miscommunication which needs to be sorted out." He relayed the information gleaned from Blaze.

"Copy," Blackburn said as he pinned his glare on Carlson. "Once you work out a plan, I'll make contact with Sutton, and we will coordinate from here."

Jason responded, "Copy."

* * *

**_Forward Operating Base – Tactical Operations Center_ **

Davis made a call to the Canadian operations center and connected Blackburn to a Colonel Sutton. Then she sat back and watched as the lieutenant commander dealt with Sutton and Mandy went after Carlson.

"Why in the world would you tell them we would be waiting until next month?" Mandy demanded as she rounded on Carlson. "Are you that much of a glory hog you would risk the lives of all those men? Had someone opened fire, they could all be dead, and we would miss out on grabbing Nazeri!"

Carlson found himself backed into a corner as Ellis harangued him. He had nothing he could counter her accusations with because she nailed his motivations. He wanted to reap the rewards of being the one to bring in Nazeri, and they didn't need the Canadian team to do that.

* * *

**_Inside Building Near Nazeri Residence_ **

Blaze sent Russ, his sniper to the rooftop of the building to take up overwatch and left Angus and Hal on the first floor as he, Winds, and Duncan went to the second floor once he learned one of the American's had been wounded and was ill.

Jason led the way into the room and said, "Clay's over there."

Shucking his pack, Duncan moved forward to the injured man. He took a knee and said, "My name is Duncan, and I'm a trained medic."

Trent moved to Clay, not liking someone he didn't know taking care of his teammate. "I'm a medic too. What can you do for him I haven't?"

Duncan stopped his visual assessment to turn to the other soldier. "No offense but according to your CO your main role is a shooter, and your training is first aid compared to mine. My primary role is medic and secondary I'm a shooter."

"Let him take a look, Trent," Jason ordered. He laced his hands on top of his head and stood observing.

"What symptoms are you experiencing besides nausea and fever?" Duncan asked.

His eyes opening a crack, Clay peered at the unknown man. Things appeared hazy and unreal as he tried to focus.

When Clay didn't answer, Jason moved in on the opposite of Clay and knelt next to him. He recognized he owned a part of Clay's current condition. His voice came out softer than it ever had when speaking to the rookie, "Spenser, talk to him. What are your symptoms?"

Turning his head, Clay reached out, wondering if he imagined this strange soft-spoken CO. Touching a solid mass, his face screwed up in confusion. "Real?"

"Yeah, I'm real. Not hallucinating."

Winds' snicker, earned him glares from Brock and Sonny. He put up his hands, palms out. "Whoa, I'm not laughing at him. He only reminds me of someone else."

Blaze smiled. "Blondie."

Sonny raised a brow. "Blondie? What kind of name is that?"

"An uninspired one, but we suck at naming. Hence, we gave up the practice. Blondie had terrible reactions to morphine and experienced some weird-assed hallucinations. The kid kept us on our toes for six years."

"Six? Did he …" Sonny didn't finish the question if he died, realizing that would be too personal and he really didn't want to know.

Blaze supplied an answer anyway, "He's with the Toronto Police Tactical Response Force now. Better place for him."

Clay gripped Jason's sleeve and twisted as a sharp pain stabbed his back overriding the minimal dose of painkillers.

"Easy," Jason moved closer to offer more support. Over the next ten minutes, with a lot of prompting from Jason, Clay described his symptoms which were not visible.

Duncan sat back on his heels and rubbed his chin with his index finger and thumb as he considered everything. "I'm not a doctor, but given what he's told me, I'm guessing kidney infection … especially since it came on suddenly, and the location of the initial pain in his back along with the vomiting, uncontrollable shivering, and fever.

"So what are we going to do, Jace? Hot exfil with Clay in this shape is a no go," Ray said. Though he didn't relish handing over the op to the Canadians or aborting it all together.

Blaze suggested, "How about Duncan and Hal on my team take him to the exfil location under darkness? We can rig explosive on Nazeri's house tonight too. My guys will take out Yel Malik while you guys snatch Nazeri. We will provide cover for you as you move Nazeri out, then set off the explosives as a diversion and exfil ourselves."

Sonny snorted. "And here I thought Canadians were all friendly."

Winds eyed the man, liking what he saw, someone not afraid to speak his mind. "Depends. Piss us off and were as bloodthirsty as Americans. And Yel Malik is one to those who made it to the top of my kill list."

"What did he do, kiss your mother?" Sonny joked.

"Tortured Blondie for three months, before we rescued the kid," Blaze said flatly.

Sonny drew in a breath. He recalled rumors several years ago of a Canadian Special Forces soldier who survived months in the hands of terrorists.

Jason considered the plan but was not comfortable leaving Clay in their hands alone. Spenser was his responsibility. "I agree, but your medic and Sonny will be the ones to take Clay."

Blaze nodded, fully understanding Hayes decision. He wouldn't just hand off one of his men to another unit either. He cringed as the young soldier began retching.

As Jason stood and the men made plans, Sonny moved in and held Clay as he continued to dry-heave. He was glad Jason assigned him to watch over Clay … something about this rookie got under his skin and made him act as a protective older brother.


	4. The Fall

_**Inside Building Near Nazeri Residence** _

"Time to go," Jason said as he crouched in front of Clay.

With effort, eschewing offers of help, batting away Sonny's hand, Clay pushed himself up and leaned his left side against the wall after gaining his feet … unsteadily, but nonetheless on them.

Sonny took no offense, he would want to rise unaided too if it were him. He waited close by to catch the kid if he started to fall, but would allow him the dignity of doing what he could for himself.

Jason rose and eyed Sonny. The message clear in his gaze,  _keep our guy safe_ , but he said out loud, "Check in when you arrive at the exfil location."

"Copy," Sonny replied and followed Clay out the door.

Reaching the staircase, Clay gripped the rail, bound and determined to make it under his own power. He took a deep breath and began down the steps. He sensed Sonny right behind him and appreciated his teammate didn't treat him like an invalid … but he was damned close, and he knew it.

Four treads down, a sharp pain caused him to gasp, lose his grip, and start to lean forward, if not for Sonny's instant clasp of his vest, Clay would've pitched forward and tumbled down the stairs.

"Easy." Sonny decided to maintain his hold as they made it down the remainder of the stairwell.

Jason observed from the top, his gut twisting as he wished to send more than only Sonny with Clay, but this op was too important, and he was already down two shooters. His mind caught up, and he grinned as he did the math. Six plus six minus three meant he was actually up three shooters. He could spare one more to go with Sonny and Clay.

"Brock, go with them," Jason ordered and received a nod in acknowledgment from Brock.

Cerberus' ears perked up as his handler moved from his position and he needed no command to fall into step.

Ray turned to Jason, "Why send Brock?"

"Early warning detector. They won't have a drone over them, Cerberus will alert them of any potential incoming hostiles."

Winds eyed Blaze. "Wish we had all the toys the Americans do."

Blaze shook his head and smiled. "What would be the fun in that. Old school tactics serve us well, my friend."

"Just saying, we could've used the eyes in the skies and a canine sniffer many times, especially with all the shit Blondie got into."

* * *

**_En Route to Exfil Location_ **

His environment swathed in green again, Clay stumbled along at a sorry pace.  _If I crawled I might go faster,_ he chided himself. Sonny was never more than a grasp away and saved him from face-planting more times than Clay wanted to count in the last twenty minutes.

Brock took point with Cerberus trotting ahead, clearing their path, and the Canadian took rear guard, sandwiching him and Sonny between them. His pride taking a huge hit, and worrying what the repercussions would be to him, Clay kept his mouth shut and pushed through his pain.

Cresting one of the many ravines they would traverse, Clay experienced another stab of pain in his right flank. He couldn't keep the gasp silent this time and found himself halted by Sonny's grip.

"Time for a quick rest," Quinn ordered as he guided Spenser to a handy cluster of rocks and forced him to sit.

Duncan moved in and took a knee. "Health status?"

Eyeing the medic, Clay didn't understand his query but settled on saying, "Same as before."

"Sorry, shorthand for my unit. Something my predecessor started. What is your pain level?" Duncan explained. He learned Blaze expected a lot from him … he had big shoes to fill after taking over for Patch as unit medic.

"Three."

"Liar," Sonny scoffed. He held out water to the kid.

Not willing to admit to more, Clay took the bottle and sipped, hoping like hell the liquid would stay down.

Duncan grinned. "I know how painful a kidney infection can be, so I'll just double what you tell me. Six it is. Don't consume much water … just wet your mouth for now. If your kidney function is compromised we walk a fine line."

After a five-minute break, Sonny reached down and assisted Clay to his feet, noting the soft hiss.  _Damn, the kid is hurting … bad._

They made it to the bottom of the ravine and began the steeper trek up the other side. Half-way up, Clay stumbled on the loose rocks. Sonny grabbed his arm to steady him, but his boots slid on the rocks and with Clay's weight off-balance, both of them pitched to the right and fell. Try as he might, Sonny couldn't change his trajectory mid-fall. Clay hit the ground first, on his injured right side and Sonny landed on top of him.

A strangled yelp and, "Aaaargh," emitted from Clay as his back slammed into the hard-packed, rock-strewn earth. He would've released another cry when Sonny's full weight crashed down on him, but the air expelled from his lungs, leaving him nothing.

It only took Sonny a second to roll off. "Son of a bitch! Spense?"

Cerberus reached Clay before Brock, but only by a moment. "Breathe, kid. Breathe."

Clay sucked in a lungful of air and began panting through waves of pain. Nausea kicked back up, and he started making gagging sounds. Three sets of hands turned him to his left side, two hands holding his shoulders, and the other four tugging his shirt up again as he began retching up the little water he consumed only minutes ago.

His body began shivering again, not a damned thing he could do to stop the vibrations which caused agony, which caused more tremors … a vicious cycle he was powerless to stop. Vaguely aware of a pinprick in his thigh, Clay realized Duncan must've shot him up with more morphine.

When the heaving stopped, spent, Clay didn't fight the fact Sonny cradled his head in his lap. He concentrated on breathing, attempting to gain the upper hand on his pain … a hard-fought battle only won with the aid of meds. As his panting evened out to a more regular cadence, Clay managed to slur out, "I'm good."

Brock sat back on his heels. "Yep, you're tough as nails, kid." He rose and gave a soft verbal command to Cerberus before he said to Sonny, "I'm gonna scout the area while Doc Duncan gets the bleeding under control again."

Sonny nodded then turned his attention to Duncan. "What damage did I do to him?"

Putting a fresh pad over the now gushing wound, the old one soaked through, Duncan didn't want to add guilt to the man holding his teammate, so he answered accordingly. "Wound opened. Only need to put some pressure on it to control the bleeding again." He swapped out a second pad when the first became saturated.

By the sixth soaked pad, Sonny realized he did more harm than the medic indicated. _Aw shit, Jason is not going to like this one damned bit. Hell, I don't like this. I fucked up._  He caught Duncan's gaze and realized things were going downhill. In his arms, Clay stilled, but the heat coming off him could almost fry an egg.

Duncan could no longer pretend. "He's losing too much blood. Something else might have been embedded. I need to turn on a light to see what the issue is … he won't make it to exfil if I can't stop the bleeding."

"A light out here will be a beacon to hostiles who patrol the area," Brock said as he returned.

"Did you find any indication of hostiles in our vicinity?" Sonny asked.

"No, but that doesn't mean they aren't out there." Brock took a knee and gazed at Clay, noting he didn't move or open his eyes. "I spotted an outcropping of rocks not too far from here, opposite direction of exfil and all uphill. We'll have to carry him. But once there, we can create a shield of sorts and Duncan can examine Clay."

Sonny pressed his coms. "TOC, Bravo Three."

"Go Bravo Three," Davis answered.

"Deviating from the original course." Sonny provided the direction, approximate coordinates, and the reason for the change.

"Copy. Arranged for another drone. We'll have eyes on you in about fifteen minutes."

"Copy." Sonny shifted, rocks poking him in the ass making sitting here uncomfortable, but he didn't complain. His discomfort nowhere near Clay's. "Pack it tight, and I'll carry him," he instructed Duncan.

Duncan did as required, packing the wound and wrapping gauze tightly around his torso. When he finished, he held Spenser as Quinn stood.

"Alright, kid, no complaints. I'm carrying you now." Sonny adjusted his vest and rifle, then squatted to hoist Clay over his shoulder in a fireman carry. He became worried when Spenser made no response. "Kid?"

Glazed over eyes blinked open and stared before the heaviness of his lids caused them to lower again.

"I gave him a full dose. If he was six before the fall …" Duncan trailed off.

"At least I won't be hurting him too much then." Sonny lifted Clay, noting the kid was heavier than his slight frame indicated …  _the kid's all muscle_. Picking his way up the slope, Sonny moved with care not wanting to repeat falling and hurting Clay again.


	5. Out of the Pan, Into the Fire

**_Rock Outcropping_ **

Sonny knelt as Brock and Duncan gripped Clay and laid the unconscious kid on the flat rock. A scan of the area indicated this place would provide them with adequate protection, with the ability to spot hostiles approaching. The overhang offered protection from the elements plus a location for overwatch on top … almost as if it were made especially for their purposes.

With three sides of rock, Sonny and Brock set about creating a small blind so Duncan could use a light to assess Clay's condition. Sonny kept taking peeks at the kid as the medic positioned Clay on his left side and pulled up his shirt again. Once they finished making a small but workable cover, he asked, "How's our kid doing?"

Duncan grabbed his penlight and cupped a hand around it to help conceal the rays.

Sonny took a knee and offered, "I'll hold that for you so you have both hands free."

As much as Brock wanted to stay, he didn't. "I'm going up top to maintain overwatch." A hand signal later, Brock moved out and Cerberus lay at Clay's feet, resting his head on his boots and let out a little whine.

With both hands available now, Duncan pulled back the soaked dressing. Visual inspection of the wound didn't provide any new source for the continued bleeding. He grumbled, "Something internal. Don't see any foreign objects."

"Internal is bad, right?" Sonny said.

"Yeah, not good. Though the flow appears to be slowing some. I may be able to slow it enough to make it to exfil time, but the location needs to change. The bird needs to come to us. Moving him will only cause the bleeding to renew." Duncan pulled out more sterile pads and applied significant pressure, not worried about causing pain since the soldier was already out and stopping the blood loss was more important. "Grab the IV kit from my pack, now that we aren't moving for a bit, I can replace some of his volume."

Sonny did as requested. "Want me to start it?"

"No, you hold the pressure." Duncan and Sonny swapped positions. The medic worked swiftly and Clay didn't even flinch as the needle entered, not that an unconscious man would feel the prick. Duncan taped it into place and tucked the IV bag in Spenser's armpit.

Once Duncan took over applying pressure again, Sonny repositioned to put Clay's head in his lap again and turned on his comms to check in with Jason and Blackburn. "TOC and Bravo One, Bravo Three."

* * *

_**Inside Building Near Nazeri Residence** _

"Status?" Jason had not stopped pacing since he heard they needed to deviate due to Clay bleeding profusely.

"Kid's holding on. Bleeding slowed and started on IV solution. Buys him time. Can't move him though. Something internal is causing the bleeding." Sonny's guilt soared as he believed him falling on the kid was the cause. "Evac needs to come to us."

"No go." Eric responded from the tactical operations center.

"Why the hell not?" Jason ground out as his fist clenched.

"No place for the helos to land and the hostiles in the area possess RPGs," Davis explained. She wished they had another option … they just didn't.

Jason punched the wall. "Options. I need options. Give me something workable. Something that doesn't end up with Bravo Six bleeding out."

Winds peered at Blaze as an old memory surfaced. Something had niggled at him when they learned the coordinates where the others deviated to. "I think they are at the rock overhang Blondie scouted for us after we crashed."

Blaze nodded. "Sounded familiar to me too. A defensible position."

Turning to the Canadian captain, Jason asked, "Defensible?"

"Yeah, our kid picked a prime spot and managed to drag our asses there after an RPG knocked out the engines in our plane." Blaze meant literally in his case. Blondie dragged the travois with his unconscious body on it, though the kid was suffering lower back injury, a down-to-the-bone laceration on his palm, and a knife wound. "Contact Sutton. He can tell your people the route our evac unit took."

"How defensible is that location?" Jason shook out his hand, hitting the adobe wall was stupid, but at least it released a tiny bit of stress.

"Clear line of sight, uphill, multiple egress directions." Blaze shared.

"Freshwater stream not too distant," Winds added.

Trent stepped into the conversation. "Drop in a couple of guys with a stretcher and anything else Duncan thinks he needs for Spenser and they can carry him out. They can keep the kid more immobile on a stretcher. Less jarring than being carried like a sack of potatoes."

"TOC, will that work?" Jason sure the hell hoped so.

Davis eyed Eric hoping for the go ahead. When he nodded she set to work contacting Sutton again as Eric said, "Workable. We'll drop Bravo support to Bravo Three's location."

"Copy," Jason said and resumed his pacing. He would not relax until Clay was receiving medical care in a hospital. Well, hell, not even then … perhaps once Spenser was on the mend and he knew for sure the kid would be alright.

* * *

**_Forward Operating Base – Tactical Operations Center_ **

Several minutes later, Mandy's eyes widened as she peered at the split screen of the two locations, now that drones hovered over both. "Eric, they have a problem. A huge one." Lisa's and Eric's eyes whipped to the display as she pointed.

Eric's voice came out calm, only through years of experience. "Bravo Three, a force of approximately forty is moving in your direction from the west. No idea if they know you are there. Can't tell if they're armed, but I'm guessing so given the territory. If they stay the course, they'll be on you in ten or twelve minutes. Bravo support scrambled, but is thirty minutes out."

"Shit," Sonny whispered as Duncan doused the light.

* * *

**_Inside Building Near Nazeri Residence_ **

Jason calculated the time to daylight and turned to Ray who was already studying the map and determining the distance. Their eyes met and Ray nodded. They could make it if they went now. Jason no longer cared about grabbing Nazeri … his men, three of them, would be outgunned in a matter of minutes.

Blaze understood the hard glare in Hayes' eyes. He had been in the same position too many times himself. "Go. We will handle Nazeri."

Trent and Ray didn't wait for Jason's decision, knowing full well what it would be and they rushed out of the room and down the stairs to the back door. They halted to drop their night vision in place.

Nodding, Jason noted Ray and Trent heading out. "We owe you one, Blain."

"Nothing owed. Just keep Duncan safe for me," Blaze shot back as Hayes jogged out of the room.

"TOC, Bravo One, heading to their location now. Give me details on their approach." Running full bore, Jason found only one positive in tonight's misadventures. With Clay's condition, his men had not traveled more than a mile. They would arrive in time … just barely to help cover them if the hostiles discovered his guys.

* * *

_**Forward Operating Base – Tactical Operations Center** _

Davis relayed details as she watched the group of forty slowly moving in the direction of her team. She refrained from mentally asking, what more can go wrong because ever since Clay joined Bravo, it seemed as though they were constantly jumping out of the pan and into the fire.

Carlson seethed. "What the hell? Call him back. Hayes is abandoning the mission. We will lose Nazeri. He is more important than a few soldiers."

Eric rounded on the disgusting CIA operative. "I trust the Canadians to grab him. I will not lose my men when they can be saved. Their lives matter whether you think so or not."

"This is a U.S. op. We can't let the Canadians take over and get the credit for Nazeri's capture." Carlson snarled. All his plans for promotion appeared to be going up in smoke. Exactly the reason he didn't want to work with Hayes. The man went off the reservation when it suited him and Blackburn, the wimp, supported him.

"Get this man out of my TOC and sight before I deck him!" Eric yelled.

Three soldiers rushed forward to do as commanded. No one fucked with Blackburn or Hayes ... and lived to tell the story.

* * *

_**Rock Outcropping** _

Moving slow and careful, Sonny and Duncan repositioned Clay as far back as they could in the alcove to provide him more protection. Unfortunately, he woke as they were doing so and a hiss of pain eeked out.

Kneeling to place a pack under Clay's head, Sonny let his hand rest a moment on the kid's feverish forehead. The heat seared his hand. "Stay down and quiet. Unwanted company is coming."

Glazed eyes fixated on the shadowy figure in front of him, as Clay tried to make sense of Quinn's comment. Their fall came back to him, though he appeared to be in a different location now. "Give me my weapon."

Sonny snorted. "Not such a good idea given you're doped up."

"Give me my gun. I'm not going out without a fight." Clay tried to push up, but two sets of hands stopped him.

"If you promise to remain still, okay. Move and you start leaking … and you can't afford to lose too much more." Sonny put Clay's pistol in his hand. "Boss is coming, so you hold tight and don't fire unless we start shooting. Got it?"

Blinking to keep his heavy lids open, Clay responded, "Copy."

Sonny motioned up with his chin to Duncan. "Up top with Brock. I'll cover Clay here."

Duncan nodded and moved rapidly to the rock overhang. He lay flat next to Brock and peered out into the night, searching in the direction of the hostiles. "Think we can hold off forty?" He wouldn't have asked if his unit were here. Blaze and Winds always ensured they came out on top."

Brock smiled. "Forty men are no match against one pissed off Hayes."

"Is he pissed off?"

"Most definitely. The kid is hurt and in danger."

Duncan chuckled. "Just like Blaze when Blondie is in trouble. He goes all Papa Bear."

Down below Sonny snickered, as the whispers funneled down to him.  _Papa Bear applies to Jace when it comes to Clay. Hell, it applies to all of us._  He stopped when Cerberus' ears perked up, alerting him the dog heard something they could not see or hear yet. "Be ready," he quietly said over the coms.

Struggling to keep his eyes open, Clay brought his gun up, preparing to fire if need be. No way in hell he wanted any of them to die because he landed on some stupid-assed pyramid thing and poked a hole in his back. The morphine dulled his pain but did nothing to quell the heat. He lifted his other hand to wipe away the sweat and noticed the IV.  _When the hell did that get there?_

"Bravo Three, have your position in sight. Creating a perimeter," Jason said as he and the other two found cover and settled in.

Sonny acknowledged, "Copy," and prepared for a firefight.


	6. Saving a Teammate

_**Forward Operating Base – Tactical Operations Center** _

Davis prayed the huge group would deviate or walk right past her guys. She breathed a tiny sigh of relief when three images positioned themselves forward of Clay's location creating a shield which would need to be breached before the hostiles could reach the injured soldier. Another sigh escaped as she reported to Jason, "Bravo One, TOC, be advised the group is slowing and adjusting course. They might miss you if we are lucky." She didn't expect a response; any noise could alert the enemy.

Blackburn asked, "Any idea who they are? There was not supposed to be a large contingent with Nazeri … only ten men."

Mandy shook her head. "All intel we have indicates only ten should be traveling with him. Though I doubt that is Nazeri. He isn't expected until later in the day."

Eric ran a hand through his hair. "Unless he travels to the outskirts with his men and then enters with a smaller group while the others wait outside the village."

"If that is the case, their exfil is fucked up because they will run smack dab into the waiting forces," Lisa chimed in. Noting the forty men appeared to stop, she communicated to Bravo team, "Bravo One, the force halted about two hundred yards from your position. Several are breaking off in various directions. Appear to be making a perimeter sweep."

Eric spoke next, "Potential the group is Nazeri's. Though unconfirmed."

* * *

**_Near Rock Outcropping_ **

Jason and the rest of the guys listened to TOC's details. Unless they were discovered, Jason didn't want to engage them, not with Clay in his condition.  _If we can wait it out until … no wrong strategy._

He squawked his comms unit once to gain Ray's attention. Using hand signals, he conveyed his strategy and received a nod of agreement. Ray then passed the details to Trent, who in turn pivoted, knowing Brock would have eyes on him and communicated to him.

* * *

**_Rock Outcropping_ **

Having learned a whisper filtered down to Sonny from up here, Brock conveyed the plan to Quinn and Duncan at the same time. "Stealth takedown before sunrise to thin the herd, be prepared when shots erupt."

Sonny glanced at the kid whose eyes had shut again. He patted his shoulder and lids flickered open.

Clay gave a thumbs up that he overheard Brock too, though he found it more difficult to keep his eyes open. He shifted slightly, hoping for a more comfortable position and gritted his teeth to stop the groan from escaping.

Sonny moved in close inches from Spenser's face. "Don't move," he growled in a hushed but commanding tone.

_Copy. Moving sucks._  Clay only responded with a blink.

* * *

_**Near Rock Outcropping** _

Jason, Ray, and Trent began moving, each identifying targets. K-bars at the ready, they approached their quarry noiselessly from the rear and applied chokeholds, rendering the three unconscious. Carefully lowering them to the ground, they shoved leaves in their mouths, drug them to trees and zip-tied their hands behind them around the trunks.

As the sky began to lighten, the men had silently incapacitated nine of the forty, gathering their weapons and improving their odds. They moved back to their shield positions and waited to find out if this was, in fact, Nazeri's group.

Lifting his night vision, no longer needed, Jason hoped the group would move off without realizing their move, but luck was not on his side. A yell erupted as one of the nine was located by a comrade. From his position, he spotted five men surrounding one. There was no mistaking the man was Nazeri. He had stared at the man's ugly mug a long time in the briefing.

"TOC, Bravo One, target confirmed in the group. Request to engage with deadly intent to secure Nazeri."

"Authorized," Eric responded but it was not necessary as the hostiles began firing as one of them spotted Trent.

"Bravo Two, target those around Nazeri. We want him alive," Jason instructed, no longer bothering to keep his voice to a whisper as he had when speaking to TOC.

Talking became non-existent as the unit engaged the enemy in a full-on firefight. Having the high ground provided Bravo an advantage, if only slight, in the face of so many. The real advantage was their training and accuracy in firing. One after another of Nazeri's men met their maker after a well-placed bullet.

Jason shifted position, moving up the hill as the force surged forward. Making a dent in the numbers still didn't mean they would be victorious. He dove behind a tree right before a shower of shots rained down around him. The burning across his left bicep told him he had been hit, likely grazed, but he didn't have the time to check as he began targeting the hostiles moving in on him.

Sniping those surrounding Nazeri, Ray took out all five guards. Though they must take Nazeri alive, Ray figured winging the man in the leg to prevent him from running would be the best course of action. He fired as Trent provided him cover from those approaching his location. Once Nazeri was down, he had to bug out, too many advancing on him for Trent to protect him any longer.

* * *

**_Rock Outcropping_ **

Still vastly outnumbered, Brock, Sonny, and Duncan laid down a barge of bullets providing cover for Jason, Ray, and Trent as they pulled back. After the three attained new positions, they dialed back to directed shots to conserve their dwindling supply of ammo.

Though their volley safeguarded their teammates, the unfortunate effect was providing the insurgents their position. More shots zinged in their direction smashing into the rocks surrounding them, luckily not ricocheting.

Cerberus moved, putting himself in front of Clay, sensing one of his humans was in danger and doing as his partner instructed … protect.

A yelp caused Sonny to turn his head in time to witness Cerberus fall back on Clay. "Shit, Cerberus' is hit!"

"How bad?" Brock yelled down, wanting to go to his dog but unable and unwilling to leave his post.

Dropping his gun, Clay wrapped his hand around Cerberus, who now lay next to him, and found the wound. He pressed hard, causing the pup to whine, but needing to stem the flow. "In the thigh," Clay managed to say as he fought to stay conscious, his four-legged teammate needed his help and he would give it for as long as he could.

"Kid's got him for now," Sonny called out as he returned his attention to the dozen or so men who dug in taking cover and still firing at them.

Cerberus turned his head to Clay and his soulful brown eyes locked with blue ones. He whimpered but licked his human's face.

A small grin came to Clay's face as Cerberus' tongue ran across his scruffy cheek and then the wounded canine settled his head on his paws continuing to stare at him with what Clay assumed was complete trust. As a burst of fire kicked up dust around him, Clay shifted, pulled Cerberus closer, and used his own body as a shield as Sonny cussed a blue streak and let loose a sustained torrent of shells towards the assholes who targeted them.

* * *

_**Near Rock Outcropping** _

Finally realizing they were outgunned, their original forty now only eight, the remaining Taliban retreated, leaving their wounded and dead on the ground, including Nazeri, who yelled for them to take him with them and when they didn't, cursed them as cowards.

Jason, Trent, and Ray went on the offensive, unwilling to allow the fleeing men to escape to gather reinforcements. They engaged them in the next gorge and all eight chose death this time instead of giving up when Jason called out one of the few phrases he spoke in their language telling them to surrender.

On their way back, Trent halted next to Nazeri and rendered basic first aid, applying a dressing to the wound on the terrorist's leg. Ray kept guard while Trent worked, as Jason ran like the devil bit at his heels up to the outcropping.

* * *

**_Rock Outcropping_ **

Reaching the alcove, Jason bellowed, "Son of a bitch," as he witnessed Sonny and Brock carefully repositioning both Clay and Cerberus while Duncan pushed on the kid's right flank with both hands.

Duncan's eyes met Hayes' and he registered the same anger which Blaze's eyes held when one of them were injured. "Evac now! I can't stop the bleeding."

Jason didn't need more words as he keyed his comms, "TOC set the helos down as close as you can. I'm not losing Bravo Six. Package also acquired."

He knew Eric and Davis would do all in their power, so he knelt next to Clay and tapped the kid's cheek to elicit a response. When glazed eyes met his, Jason admonished, "You weren't supposed to move."

Using the last of his energy, Clay mumbled out, "Saving a teammate. Would do it again." His eyes rolled back as he gave way to sweet oblivion.

Brock held pressure on his dog's hind quarter as he stared at Clay. "Damned kid risked his life for Cerberus."

Sonny paced, anger and concern warring inside. He snapped, "Cerberus would be dead. Kid took four rounds in the vest covering the dog."

"Bravo One, evac four minutes out," Davis rattled off the coordinates, which was as close as they could land, but she wished it could be closer.

Jason peered at Duncan. "Wrap him tight. I'm carrying him." Turning to the others he said, "Prepare to move."

Sonny shook his head. "You're hit, Jace. I've got him."

"It's nothing. He's my responsibility."

Although he didn't argue further, Sonny would not be far from either on exfil. "I'll hold pressure as we go, might give him more time."

Jason nodded.

Once Duncan did all he could, Jason squatted and with Sonny's and Duncan's assistance gently as possible lifted Spenser to his shoulder. Ensuring his grip was firm he stood and Sonny placed a hand over Clay's back.

As a group, with Jason carrying Clay, Brock carrying Cerberus, Trent and Duncan assisting Nazeri, who complained loudly, they started off at a fast pace. With any luck, they would reach the exfil location with Clay still alive and the medics would be able to stabilize him inflight.


	7. Going to the Dogs

_**Exfil Location** _

Jason lowered Clay to the ground as they waited for the helos. He stood back to allow Trent and Duncan to check the bleeding. He glimpsed the hole in Spenser's back as Trent lifted the dressing for Duncan to apply a new one. He had viewed wounds before, worse ones than this one, but for some reason Clay's wound made him cringe inwardly.

The sounds of rotators filled the air and Sonny grumbled, "About fucking time."

Within minutes two birds set down, Bravo support hopped out. They would be doing mop-up work at the site of the firefight, gathering the live hostiles still zip-tied to the trees and any of the wounded ones. Ellis wanted anyone she could pump for information.

Duncan and the three medics who arrived with the others moved Clay into one helo along with Cerberus. Brock and Jason hopped in with Trent and two medics. The other medic, Duncan, Ray, Sonny, and their injured captive loaded into the second helo.

* * *

_**Helo** _

Sounds drifted in as did pain as Clay fought to open his eyes. Disoriented, he became combative as hands caused him pain. He tried to pull away but someone or something held him down. He twisted one way and another and began kicking his feet and flailing his arms. He struck something solid, and his hand was held in a vice grip which fucking hurt.

As Clay began fighting Trent and the other medics as they stripped him of his gear and shirts, Jason grabbed Spenser's hand. He leaned in close and shouted to be heard over the blades. "Stop fighting. You are safe."

The loud, stern voice of his boss filtered in and Clay stilled, obeying the command, but mostly sensing he was safe if Jason was here. He settled and squeezed the hand holding his, unsure who it was, finding it strange, yet comforting at the same time.

Jason listened to the medical jargon flung around by the two men in charge of Clay's care. Things he didn't understand but he watched Trent who continually nodded and often chimed in with other details. He did comprehend when one said, "Temp is too high. One hundred four point six."

_Shit this isn't good._  His eyes shifted to Cerberus as the dog whimpered in Brock's lap. His normally stoic hair missile handler had tears in his eyes as he gently petted his dog while Trent shifted to examine their canine teammate.  _Shit, shit, shit_!

When Clay became restless again, he followed Brock's lead and essentially petted Clay's head, actually scratching him behind the ears, and damned if that didn't work to calm the rookie down. He caught Trent's amused expression. "I'll deny this if you so much as breathe a word."

"No one would believe me, so I'll save my breath," Trent chuckled despite the situation being dire for both human and canine soldiers. He peered up at Brock. "Cerberus is gonna be okay. In the fleshy part."

The short laugh and news broke Brock's tension and he smiled and drew in a deep breath.

In Jason's mind, the flight took forever. He had to continually reassure and settle Clay as the fever's delirium took hold of his sniper rookie. By the time they landed Clay's head lay in his lap, one hand brushed his fevered head, while the other remained clenched in Clay's grasp. Though semi-conscious, Spenser's grip was strong and truthfully a little painful. Each time Spense experienced a stab of pain his grip intensified, squishing Jason's fingers.

* * *

_**Tarmac** _

As they landed, more medics rushed forward with gurneys for the wounded. When they transferred Clay, he started to thrash again when Jason let go of his hand.

"Go with him," Eric ordered quickly assessing the situation.

Jason didn't object, though he wanted to find Carlson and put his fist into the man's face. There would be time enough for that once Clay was being attended to by doctors. He ran alongside the stretcher, as did Trent, not willing to be shoved off.

Once loaded in the ambulance, Jason glanced back and his eyes met Ray's. A silent conversation occurred in the brief moment before the door shut. Jason trusted Ray to keep an eye on Sonny. They had enough experience with the hothead to know he would be seeking blood from Carlson, and it could cost Quinn his career.

Ray turned to Sonny. "Grab the kid's gear."

"Got other plans." His fists clenched as Sonny's thoughts turned to pulverizing Carlson. The ass sent them on a mission ill-conceived, with shit intel, and the kid didn't even need to be there. Fucking Nazeri spoke fucking English.

"No, you don't. Jason will handle Carlson," Ray's tone brooked no defiance.

"I'll take whatever is left then." Sonny stormed over to the other helo and grabbed the kid's vest and weapons. The sight of blood covering the floor caused his fury and guilt to rise. "Damned kid!"

Duncan looked up and sighed. "Need a hand?"

Sonny peered at the man who kept Clay alive. "No, I got it. Thanks."

Shaking his head, Duncan said, "None needed. Catch you around." He strode toward Colonel Tom Sutton, surprised to see him. He came to attention and saluted. "Sir."

"At ease," Sutton said after returning the compliment. "Sitrep?"

"The soldier should make it, though touch and go. The dog too. Damned if he doesn't remind me of Blondie."

Tom chuckled. "Which one the canine or the man."

"Well, both actually. Each one shielded the other. When will Blaze exfil?"

"With the American's support team. They want to ensure Yel Malik is among the dead."

Duncan nodded and followed Sutton to the waiting vehicle. He spied Quinn lugging the extra gear and smiled.  _Spenser is lucky … his unit will protect him as fiercely as Blaze, Winds, Patch, Mason, Brody, and Ripsaw protected Blondie. He is likely to cause Bravo team as much of a headache too with his tendency to attract trouble_.

* * *

_**Hospital** _

For the past twenty minutes, Jason paced the tiny area. Fifteen steps one way and fifteen back. His hands alternated between clenched fists and lacing his fingers behind his neck and squeezing. In the short, swift ride to the local hospital Clay had gone downhill fast. By the time they arrived, two IVs were going full bore and his temp had risen more.

The scariest moment … yes, macho SEAL team soldiers experienced fear … was when Clay's heart stopped beating. Jason stopped breathing at the same time and only began again when the medic found a pulse after shocking Clay with a defibrillator.

Eric entered, followed by Sonny and Ray. He noted Jason's demeanor which told him things were bad. "How is he?"

Jason halted and his burning glare landed on Blackburn. "He died … almost died. I'm gonna plow my fists in that ass Carlson. Did you know Nazeri speaks English? The kid didn't even need to be on this fucking mission."

Unable to hold back any longer, Jason slammed a fist into the thin wall. His other fist followed. He beat a hole the size of a face, envisioning Carlson, landing one punch after another until Ray and Sonny pulled him away and shoved him into a seat.

Mandy Ellis watched and wished she could do the same. But unlike Jason, she possessed restraint and a more effective method of dealing with Carlson. The man would be eating dog food as far as assignment went. He would never leave the basement of the most backwater, least influential CIA office once she got done with the bastard. That is after Jason bruised him up … because although she would never strike a physical blow, Mandy privately admitted she wanted to see the idiot bloodied after glimpsing the floor of the helo stained with Clay's and Cerberus' blood.

"Where is Trent?" Davis asked joining the group.

All eyes turned to Jason.

Waving his hand toward the door, he answered, "Back there with Brock. Some shit about this not being a veterinary hospital and the doctors not wanting to treat Cerberus. They are making them see the light … probably at gunpoint … that Cerberus is a soldier in need of care, regardless of the fact he has four legs."

Sonny growled, "I can go help."

Davis couldn't help herself as she said, "Sonny's more of an attack dog than Cerberus."

Sonny raised a brow. "Maybe not more, but I agree we are kin. Let me sink my teeth into Carlson."

A door opening made the group turn and they spied Trent exiting. Ray said, "What's the word on both?"

Trent inhaled and released it gradually. "Nothing yet on Spense, but Cerberus will be fine after a couple weeks of rest. The doctor removed the bullet after giving Cerberus a local anesthesia. Nothing major hit. Brock's with him as they finish bandaging up his leg. The doc is scared shitless of Cerberus."

Davis pulled on Mandy's arm. "Help me grab coffee and such for the guys. Sounds like it might be a long wait."

Three hours later, the haggard group all stood as a doctor approached them. He launched into gibberish as far as most of them were concerned. When he stopped they all looked to Trent for translation of the medical speak.

"He says Clay has a severe kidney infection which is causing the fever and was most likely the reason for his nausea too. The puncture wound nicked the kidney and blunt force caused the wound to expand leading to the blood loss. They repaired the damage and are transfusing him."

"Damn, this is my fault," Sonny grumbled. "If I hadn't landed on the kid."

Trent shook his head. "Likely it would've ruptured on its own."

Jason asked, "How the hell did he get a kidney infection?"

Thinking back Trent offered a possible solution. "Hard to tell. But he did end up in that cesspool on the previous mission. He was stuck in it for two hours. Could've picked up the bacteria then."

Weary, Jason slumped into a chair. "So, will he be alright?"

"Yeah. They are treating the infection, too."

"What about the bullets he took for Cerberus?" Ray asked.

"Bruised ribs. Nothing cracked or broken. He'll be sore." Trent explained.

Peering at the doctor who still stood with them, Sonny groused, "Why the hell can't you explain things in plain English like Trent."

Incensed, Dr. Bajwa said, "I speak English well. Perhaps you should learn your own language."

"When can we see the kid?" Jason pushed up out of the chair. He didn't want to leave Clay alone in a foreign hospital.

"He will be moved to a room within the hour, but you must wait for visiting hours," Bajwa stated.

Eric captured Jason's eyes and prepared for the challenge. "Go clean up. Sleep. Spenser will be fine in their care."

"Hell no. I'm not letting that kid out of my sight," Jason challenged.

"Don't make me pull rank." Blackburn straightened up.

"Jace, a shower, food, and a bit of rest will do you good," Ray urged, and finding no softening, he added, "a little talk with Carlson, too."

Jason's eyes landed on Ray. His second in command knew him well. "Fine."

Sonny grinned and fell into step with Jason's long stride, looking forward to watching the CIA weasel piss himself when his ticked off boss found him.


	8. Comeuppance and Compassion

**_Forward_ _Operating Base_ **

Cramming his meager belongings into a duffle bag, Carlson desired to make it on the next transport out … hopefully before a raging Hayes returned. Ellis, the bitch had notified their boss of the clusterfuck of a mission and now his career was in shambles. He may never get another field assignment.  _Damned Hayes screwed up all my plans._

He grabbed the bag, opened his door, and stepped out, taking two strides before he was slammed up against the wooden wall of the temporary housing. "What the fuck?" Amber eyes of a lion bore into him as a man wearing a tan beret unleashed a hurricane of words at him.

Sutton strode up to Blaze, observing Winds giving Carlson a piece of his mind. Nonchalantly he said, "You about ready to accept the promotion?"

Blaze kept his gaze on Winds, ready to intervene if his best friend moved into territory which would get him demoted or court-martialed. He rubbed the faded, thin line on his left palm. "Still have a few more animals to find and put down."

"So Yel Malik is dead?" the colonel asked.

"Yeah, he was among five close together. Nice sniper shot. We have the American's to thank for that."

"Make you a deal."

"What?" Blaze shifted his eyes to Sutton.

"I need you in the position left vacant by Plouffe. I need a man I can trust. Our guys have been lured into too many bogus missions lately. When we return to Kandahar, I want you to try on the major role, give Winds a chance to lead the unit, spread his wings. And when intel comes in regarding any of the bastards who tortured Dan, you can lead the mission. If you aren't happy in the position, then you can resume leading your unit."

Blaze considered the option. "If I accept, does the offer hold true if I take the promotion to major?"

"Yes. General Broderick supports your actions. He wants them all dead too."

"I accept your proposal then, provided Winds agrees too." A commotion made Blaze turn back to where Winds harangued Carlson. "Whoa, I believe Carlson is in for more than just a verbal lashing."

Sutton turned away. "Can't watch or I will be forced to intervene. Tell me later what doesn't officially happen." He strode away with a smile. At his rank, he would need to put a stop to this, but he had no desire to do so, he was done putting up with deceitful men who didn't care about the soldiers ... men who behaved as Plouffe.  _Carlson is in that bastard's league … I only wish Carlson was six feet under like Plouffe._

A smug grin formed on Blaze's face as he observed five pissed off SEALs, led by Hayes, striding with purpose towards one screwed CIA operative.

Approaching Carlson's quarters, Jason overheard someone yelling at Carlson well before he viewed the soldier letting loose and saying much of what he intended. He would've grinned at the cowed figure, but he was too furious. He planned more than words.

His fist launched as he came to a stop, landing on target, a satisfying crunch of cartilage as he connected with Carlson's nose. "You son of a bitch! You nearly killed my men with your shit for brains plan!"

Sonny joined in, pushing the gaping Canadian soldier out of the way. "You lying motherfucker, I should shoot you here and now, but I'll settle for this." He landed a powerful punch to Carlson's solar plexus, causing him to bend over and gasp for breath.

Brock, angry this asshole was the reason Cerberus got shot, lifted Carlson's head by using an uppercut to his jaw. As the back of the man's head whacked the wood wall, he barked, "My dog is more human than you. If Cerb was here now, I'd let him tear you to pieces."

Trent and Ray stood behind the other three, prepared to step in if their teammates moved beyond a few punches. With Jason and Sonny that was quite possible.

Reeling, gasping, hurting, Carlson's hand covered his bleeding nose as he said, "The plan would've worked if you stuck to it and if your worthless rookie didn't screw up."

Jason's restraint, what little he still held, snapped when Carlson laid the blame on Spenser. He let loose with a barge of strikes to Carlson's midsection, before Ray and Trent pulled him back and the worthless ass dropped to the ground holding his stomach and moaning.

Sonny wished his second in command had not yanked Jace off. His fists itched to do the same, but the glare he received from Ray told him to stay put.

Picking himself, Carlson's fear-filled eyes landed on Hayes. The man was a menace and would pay. "This is assault. I will make sure you are arrested and court-martialed."

"Your word against ours. You think anyone will believe you after the lies you told which almost cost the lives of thirteen soldiers?" Jason growled.

"Twelve," Carlson had the audacity to correct.

Landing another blow to Carlson's face, Brock yelled, "Cerberus is a soldier, asswipe!"

Dazed by the strike, Carlson sank to the dirt, and his head lolled to the side.

Trent squatted and by the hair lifted Carlson's head. He checked his pupils before standing. "He's had enough. Any more and he'll be concussed."

"Better than dead, which I would prefer." Sonny planted a well-placed kick to the asshole's right flank wanting him to feel pain exactly where Clay was injured.

"We're done here." Jason pivoted and strode away. He agreed with Sonny.  _Dead would be better._  But he needed to shower, grab some food, and head back to the hospital … he could sleep there.  _Anyone tries to kick me out of the kid's room they will find out it isn't happening._

The rest of the team each kicked Carlson as he sat in the dust, before following Jason. A bit of justice served for Clay and Cerberus.

* * *

_**Tarmac** _

Mandy stood with Lisa and Eric as they observed a bloodied Carlson limping to the plane. She couldn't help the upturn of her lips. "Appears Carlson got his comeuppance."

Davis snickered. "Too bad he took a tumble out the door of his quarters. He really should be more careful."

Unable to stop the chuckle at Lisa's explanation for the man's appearance, Eric shook his head. "Must be a klutz as well as a crappy operative."

Becoming serious, Lisa turned to Blackburn. "Not that I'm a fan of Charlie Team, but Fuller and his men would all be dead now had Carlson's original plan been enacted."

"He won't be planning ops ever again," Mandy stated before turning her eyes on the group of Canadian's heading for their own helo. "Glad they showed up. Spenser might not be with us anymore if they didn't."

Both Eric and Lisa nodded.

* * *

**_Hospital – Clay's Room_ **

Forced to sit in a chair and allow Trent to finally clean the graze on his arm, Jason kept his eyes on Clay. The kid lay motionless as sweat beaded, combined into pools, and trailed off his forehead. His fever still in the range of one hundred and two, with the help of meds, concerned Jason.

The second bed in the room was occupied by Cerberus, much to the hospital staff's dismay. The nurses gave the dog a wide berth and approached Clay on the opposite side because Cerb would growl at anyone other than the team who dared come near Clay, even though they were caring for the kid.

Trent finished wrapping gauze around Jason's arm. "Another scar to add to your list. Not too deep, you were right, didn't need stitches."

Jason nodded. "Shouldn't his fever be down?"

"It is moving in the right direction. Antibiotics need time to work." Trent closed his med kit and glanced at one of the chairs Sonny stole from other rooms so they all had somewhere other than the floor to sit. Though, the ground might be more comfortable than the small wooden chairs.

Trent chose to continue standing and shifted his eyes to assess each of his teammates. They all needed sleep, but none of them wanted to leave the kid. He halted on Sonny and noted the distress in his countenance.  _He's feeling guilty._

Sonny maintained his position between the beds. His gaze never leaving the kid. Guilt ate at him. No matter what Trent said about the wound rupturing on its own, he knew his weight crashing down on Clay caused the rupture and nearly cost the rookie his life.  _So much for taking him under my wing and protecting him. I'm the reason he is lying here half-dead._  A hand landing on his shoulder caused him to turn, drawing him out of his self-flogging.

"Not your fault. I should've taken point into the room. If I had, he wouldn't have landed on that damned pyramid thing," Trent said.

"We alternated. It was the kid's turn," Sonny responded.

Jason rose and pinned his eyes on both his men. "If anyone is to blame it is me. I fucked up. I should've let him explain on the plane. I jumped to conclusions. If I had listened, we would've known he was sick and not drunk. He wouldn't have gone on the mission."

"Jace, we all thought the same thing. He smelled like a friggin distillery and the way he climbed into the hammock after take-off, well—"

Cutting off Ray, Jason shouted, "Well nothing! I would've given each of you the chance to explain … I didn't with him and I don't know why."

Jason's words caused each of them to turn inward as the truth of his statement rang in their ears. Jason would've listened to them. A moan from the bed drew their attention as Clay started to move and Jason was at the kid's side in an instant, gripping his hand.

"Be still. You're safe," Jason intoned close to Clay's ear as his rookie's body twisted in the bed. "Don't move or you might undo all the doctor's work."

_Hot, so damned hot, yet freezing. And I fucking hurt._  Clay grappled and clawed his way up to consciousness, a challenge as his mind wanted two things. One, to stay in blessed oblivion where pain didn't exist. Two, needing to wake to defend his teammates from the onslaught of hostiles.

As he fought to move a body which wouldn't respond properly, his first conscious thought came out in a dry raspy voice, "Cerb, gotta protect Cerb."

Brock said, "Cerb is right here. He is safe. You saved his life." He glanced at his dog who whined and tried to rise. "Stay. Don't move, boy."

The guys almost laughed as both Cerberus and Clay stilled at Brock's command.

Clay managed to lift his eyelids. His world didn't match. Instead of being outside under a rock outcropping he was in a sterile, white room with his teammates all standing around him. Rather than hard rocks and dirt, he lay on a semi-soft bed. "Hospital?" his cracked voice asked.

Jason grinned. "Yeah."

"Kid ain't as dumb as he looks. Got it in one," Sonny quipped as relief surged through him. He reached for the cup of water and brought it into Clay's field of vision. "Water?"

Clay gave a slight nod, and Sonny moved the cup to his lips as Trent lifted his head. He wanted to greedily drink, but Sonny only dribbled a few drops in. "More."

"Sorry, only a little. Your kidney is infected so you only get enough to wet your whistle now," Trent explained.

His throat less dry, his voice came out more normal. "Kidney? Infected?"

"As far as we can figure, your two-hour swim in the cesspool caused this. Sorry I didn't let you explain on the plane. All this could've been avoided." Jason continued to hold Spenser's hand and when the kid squeezed hard, he asked, "Need pain meds?"

"No, I'm fine." Clay lied as his mind chewed on the fact Jason apologized. Then he wondered why Jason would ask if he needed meds, until he realized he was gripping his COs hand. He released his hold as a blush came to his face, but lucky for him his skin was already flushed with fever.

"Liar," Sonny exclaimed.

Clay's eyes shifted to Sonny. He owed the man his life, but he didn't know what to say, how to say it. So, he opted for cockiness. "Am not."

Sonny turned to Trent. "Shoot him up with morphine. The kid's trying to be all macho. He fucking hurts whether he wants to tell us or not."

Cerberus barked until he got Brock's attention. His front paws inched forward, trying to move closer to Clay. A grin lit Brock's face as he said, "Sonny, Ray, move out of the way," and started to push Cerberus' bed. The only way to settle his dog was to shift him closer to Spenser.

As Brock repositioned the bed, Trent chuckled at the thought the nurses would be none too happy. He headed out of the room in search of one to request painkillers for Clay.

Sonny lowered the bedrail on both beds before moving out from between them and Brock finished pushing them together.

When Cerberus lay his head near him, Clay's hand reached out to pet the dog noting the bandage. "Cerb going to be okay?"

"Yeah, just a flesh wound. Couple of weeks and you both will be back in business," Brock answered, not sure who was happier with the new arrangement … Cerb or Clay.

His lids growing heavy, Clay closed them, as he fought the rising tide of pain in right side. He hoped the pain meds arrived quick. Several minutes later, he heard a gasp and chuckles, before a slight burn of meds entering his vein.

The men snickered when the nurse gasped at the sight of her patient and the dog lying next to one another. Luckily for her, Clay's IV port was on the opposite side of Cerb. She worked fast administering the morphine and left faster.

As he began to drift into a pain-free world, a cool cloth on his forehead caused Clay to crack his eyes open again.

Jason wiped Clay's fevered brow. "Rest now. We'll talk later."

The compassionate side of Jason confused Clay, but he didn't think long on it as Morpheus drew him into his arms and he gave up the struggle to stay awake.

Ray, Trent, Brock, and Sonny all resumed their seats, hiding grins as their hard as nails CO continued to tenderly wipe the kid's brow. Papa Bear could rest easier now that Clay had woken, spoke to them, and returned to a healing sleep. None of them had ever witnessed Jason so affected by a soldier. And in truth, they all were just as affected … Clay got under their skin. He was more than just their rookie … he was the younger brother they would all need to keep an eye on. They realized they had work to do to earn his trust … but that would come in time, provided they could keep the trouble-magnet alive.

Three hours after visiting hours ended, Eric strolled into Clay's room to find the entire team sleeping. The hospital called demanding come to order his men out. He stood and smiled as he gazed around.

Jason's head lay on the side of the bed and his hand gripped Spenser's. Brock lay on one half of Cerberus' bed, with the dog between him and Clay. Cerberus' head rested on Clay's thigh and Clay's other hand draped over the canine's neck. Ray lay sprawled across three chairs pushed together. Trent sat propped in a corner on the floor, his head supported by a blanket. Sonny's position was strange and appeared a bit painful. He sat in one of the chairs, his upper body leaned over the footboard, and his head lay on one arm as one hand held onto Clay's foot.

Eric closed the door without waking any of them. He turned to Dr. Bajwa. "They are not causing anyone any trouble. Leave my men be."

"But it is against our rules," Bajwa insisted.

"Screw your rules. They are staying. End of discussion." Eric strode out wearing a grin. The gruff and hard-core soldiers he commanded had changed since Spencer joined Bravo team.  _A change for the better, I think. Now, if they can only manage to keep the kid alive._


	9. Family Pet and Apologies

_**One Week Later – Unit Quarters** _

Clay smiled at Stella as she went on about her past week. The normalcy of talking to her soothed him after a full week cooped up in the hospital. He hated every minute of being there, well, every minute he recalled which wasn't much until three days ago. He was glad to be released this afternoon, back in his own quarters, and wearing real clothes again.

Stella prattled on, she could tell something was up with Clay but he wouldn't elaborate, which she understood. What she didn't understand is why they were still wherever they went since Clay said the mission completed. Winding down her monolog, she asked, "When are you coming home?"

"Not sure. Depends," Clay answered.

"On what?"

_On when the doctor agrees I'm fit to travel._  Not wanting to worry her, he couldn't answer with that, so he said, "Several things."

"Oh, so you can't talk about it. I get it. Well, you stay safe out there." Stella phone began ringing. "I've been waiting for this call, hang on a sec."

The door opening, and Sonny coming in caused Clay to swiftly say, "I gotta go, Babe. I'll call you later when I can."

Stella nodded and mouthed 'Love ya,' before they both disconnected.

"Chicken shit!" Sonny chimed in as he set a tray on the table as Clay closed the laptop.

"Not chicken. Just don't want to worry her. Nothing she can do from over there." Clay eyed the food with disgust.

Sonny snorted. "Whipped."

"What the hell is that?" Clay asked pointing the indistinguishable items on the plate.

"Dinner. You're gonna eat every last bit of it too." Sonny crossed his arms and glared at the kid. He lost a lot of weight in the last week and now that he was out of the hospital he planned to push him to eat more.

Standing, Clay shuffled to his bunk … the lower one … Sonny insisted they switch while Clay recuperated, but also told him that it was only temporary because he didn't want to have to carry his sorry ass back to the infirmary if he fell while trying to climb up. "Not hungry," he lied, not about to consume something he couldn't identify. He had enough of puking for a long time.

"You'll eat it if I have to force feed you."

Clay arched a challenging brow. "You can try ... and fail."

The door opened again, admitting Davis. She still harbored guilt for the things she thought about Clay when she believed he arrived at the plane drunk. She smiled as she glanced at the mushy, brownish, greenish, crap Sonny brought. "Appears Quinn is still trying to poison you. Here, this will be much more to your liking."

The aroma of real steak wafted to Clay as she lifted the lid off a container she carried. Clay's stomach growled, betraying his hunger.

Sonny's mouth salivated. "Kid's not hungry. I'll take it though."

Pivoting before Sonny could grab her offering, Lisa shoved it at Clay. "You heard his gut just as well as I did. This is for Clay. You can eat, whatever the hell you brought him."

Clay took the container and sat on the edge of the bunk as Quinn grumbled something about no one should eat garbage. Clay grinned as he savored the first bite. "Thanks."

Lisa smiled watching Clay devour the cut-up steak smothered in butter, mushrooms, and onions with a side of mashed potatoes … real ones, not the dehydrated and reconstituted ones. She called in a few favors to make this happen, and from Clay's expression well worth it.

Their quarter's door opened again and Brock entered with Cerb. The dog limped over to Clay and hopped up on the bed. Soulful brown eyes didn't have to beg long before Clay offered a piece to his four-legged teammate.

"Hey, if you're giving some of it away … send it my way. Cerb has kibble." Sonny groused before he shoveled a spoonful of the mystery meal into his mouth.

Lisa laughed, she teased Sonny long enough. "Steak is coming for the rest of you too."

Quinn spat out the gross, whatever it was, and grinned. "You're the best, Davis."

The portal opened yet again, and sure enough, the rest of Bravo paraded in carrying steak for all of them, including enough for Cerberus, Lisa, Eric, and Mandy. The small area became crowded, but no one cared as they squeezed on bunks and sat on the floor, balancing plates.

Eric was the last to arrive and came bearing a case of beer and a six-pack of soda. As he set them down on the table, he said, "Compliments of the Canadian unit. Their medic said the root beer is for Spenser since he must avoid alcohol for now."

"Why did they send this?" Ray asked.

Jason grinned. "Seems you took out the man they were after. Wanted to thank us. Sent them a case of beer in return. Without Duncan, well, the kid might not be here."

Beers passed around and popped open. Jason handed Spense a cold root beer. They had yet to have a conversation about the misunderstanding on the plane, not that Jason was avoiding admitting he was wrong, but because for six of the past seven days, the kid had been in and out as the fever raged and he wanted to ensure Clay was fully cognizant when they had the discussion.

As more steak appeared on his plate, Clay grinned and dug in with gusto again. When sated, he gingerly leaned back on the wall and glanced around at his team. He listened as they joked around, enjoying the comradery. He had never run with a unit this tight-knit. It was like having five older brothers, two sisters, and a kindly uncle in Blackburn … oh and he couldn't forget the family pet …  _Sonny_. He chuckled at his thought as he scratched behind Cerb's ear.

"What's got you laughing?" Trent asked.

Clay's smile grew as he said, "Nothing."

"Aw come on. It is something," Brock prodded.

Everyone's eyes landed on him and Clay ventured to speak his mind. "This is kinda like family, complete with a family pet."

"Cerb's a great pet isn't he?" Sonny said.

Clay snorted. "Um, actually I cast you in that role."

The entire team burst out laughing. And their chortling increased as Sonny responded, "I prefer team mascot," and growled, flexing his biceps.

Teasing banter flew back and forth for another hour before Clay's eyes began drooping, noticed by all, and the impromptu party broke up when Jason stood and motioned his head towards the door. Their rookie was on the mend but still required adequate rest.

After Mandy, Eric, and Lisa left, Trent handed Clay his meds and received no gruff from the kid as he downed them. Before letting Clay stretch out, he needed to take his temp and check the wound. Being a puncture, the doctor didn't stitch it closed, so it could drain and reduce the likelihood of further infection, which meant the dressings needed to be changed frequently.

"How's it looking?" Jason asked.

"Healing well," Trent taped a clean pad in place.

"When do you think he can travel?" Jason took a seat at the vacated table as Sonny climbed up to the top bunk.

"Better be soon. Kid is lying to Stella," Sonny said as he batted the pillow.

"Not lying," Clay mumbled around the thermometer and tugged his shirt down after Trent finished.

"What do you call not telling her you were injured?" Sonny challenged hanging his head down to peer at Spenser.

Trent pulled out the plastic thermometer when it beeped, and Clay said, "Need to know."

"Lying by omission," Brock chimed in as he settled Cerberus on the soft doggie bed Davis procured for him since his dog couldn't climb the stairs to the top bunk yet.

"Normal," Trent said.

"See not lying." Clay yawned misinterpreting Trent's meaning.

"No, I meant your temp is normal. You're lying, and Stella isn't gonna be pleased with you when she finds out." He turned to Jason. "Another three days of normal temps. Don't want him throwing a reaction or taking a turn for the worse on the flight."

Ray caught Clay's eye. "A bit of advice. Do yourself a favor and own up to something small to avoid a major blow up when you get back. You won't be able to hide the hole in your back and she will worry more in the future because she will always question if you are being truthful with her. And if Stella is anything like my wife, she already suspects something."

Clay nodded too tired to really think more on it tonight. He laid his head on his pillow and within moments was out.

Turning to Jason, Ray asked, "So when do you plan to talk to Clay about …" he trailed off not wanting to say 'your screw up,' knowing Jace understood.

"Tomorrow. He's clear-headed now."

Noting the dark circles under Jason's eyes, Ray said, "Go sleep in your bunk tonight. Trent's here if any issues arise."

"I got the kid covered," Sonny said.

Jason rose and nodded. He trusted his men to cover Clay … he hadn't trusted leaving the kid in the hospital alone, so he camped out there regardless of what the hospital staff said about visiting hours, and Blackburn backed him up one hundred percent.

* * *

_**Next Morning – Outside Quarters** _

Clay spoke with Stella earlier, taking Ray's advice he confessed to being injured. He left off being so sick he lost track of days. Ray was right, Stella had suspected something and reiterated she was aware his job was fraught with danger, and injuries were to be expected. Stella also made it clear she believed enduring relationships were built on trust and she could handle just about anything, except lying.

He glanced to his right. His unexpected guard dog never left him. Sonny followed him everywhere … hell even to the damned latrine. He broached a topic he had thought about for a couple of days. "You know this isn't your fault."

Pulled from his daydream of last night's steak, Sonny cocked an eye at the kid. "What?"

"I don't blame you. I'm the one who lost my footing. Would've ruptured when I fell anyway. Thanks for carrying me."

"Jace, carried you," Sonny deliberately deflected.

"I was a bit out of it but I know for a fact Jason wasn't the one to carry me to the rock outcropping." Clay pinned Sonny with a direct gaze.

"Yeah, well, couldn't leave your scrawny ass lying there. Though, I could've maybe let Cerb drag you up the hill by the scruff of your neck." A grin played on his face. Sonny thoroughly enjoyed their banter.

Clay chuckled and shook his head. "Well, thanks anyway."

Jason approached and with one glance at Sonny, the man rose and made an exit grumpily saying, "About damned time someone else comes to babysit the kid." Quinn's gruff demeanor didn't fool Jason one damned bit because Sonny spent every night at the hospital with the kid too and ignored his orders to go back to quarters to rest.

As Sonny strolled away, heading for the mess tent to find something edible for the kid, he let go of the guilt he held for landing on Clay … the kid didn't hold it against him.  _Happy we picked him, we'll never know what to expect, but I like having a little brother._

Taking a seat in the vacated chair, Jason studied Spenser a moment. Being direct would be the best way to handle this. "I owe you an apology. I should've allowed you to explain on the aircraft. It was a break of faith and a mistake I won't make again. I'm sorry my actions and lack of judgment put your life in jeopardy."

The apology wholly unanticipated, yet appreciated, Clay nodded. "Trust is a two-way street. I should've informed you I wasn't up to par before we left. I put the team and the mission at risk. Sorry."

They sat in silence for several minutes, their gazes locked, attempting to read one another, before Clay asked, "We good, Boss?"

"Yeah, we're good." Jason leaned back and kicked his feet up on the rocks of their fire pit. He closed his eyes enjoying the shade of the canopy Brock, Trent, Ray, and Sonny erected after Clay became stir-crazy inside and insisted on sitting outside this morning.  _At least, for now, I can relax, but I better readjust my thinking and prepare for the unexpected with this kid._

Clay mirrored Boss' position. His worry over coming clean finally off his shoulders, he smiled and relaxed.  _Damned glad Bravo selected me … having brothers is an unexpected benefit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed, drop me a comment and let me know what you liked or didn't like.

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own SEAL Team or any of the characters from that series. I do own my original characters (OC) and original storylines.


End file.
